Recently I was given the opportunity to preach on the book
of Jonah, and I’ll have to admit upfront, my words are insufficient, and they cannot do it
justice. However, my time of study, research, and preparation proved spiritually
rewarding, and I hope and pray that God used my words effectually for His
harvest. It was/is a true joy and honor to speak on behalf of my King.
In
a particular part of the message, I challenged listeners by asking them the
question, “what has it cost you to follow Jesus?” and in preparation; I was
forced to ask myself the same question. I found it quite revealing to think on the matter, so I decided put together a Biblical list of what it ought to cost us to follow Christ. I
will confess firstly that I am not even close to paying these “costs” in full, and
cannot say to follow my example as St. Paul urged his listeners. But by the
grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ I am making steps forward, and I hope
that you will find admonishment and encouragement in my answers as we count the
true cost of following King Jesus.
1.) It
will cost a Christian his/her self-righteousness. This is the very thing that
Jesus condemned the Pharisees. Certainly the Pharisees did not lack zeal or discipline.
They gave the entirety of their life to writing and interpreting the
scriptures. They were the best of the best in their day. However, they knew
nothing of what it meant to live in the favor of the Good Lord. A true
Christian must cast away all his pride, all his conceit, all his high thoughts
of self, and all of his own goodness. He must be content to go to heaven as a
poor sinner saved by only by the free grace of God, owing all of his
righteousness to the merit of Christ. The Christian’s trust is not in his
morality, respectability, zealous prayerfulness, fervent churchgoing,
disciplined Bible-reading. His trust is in the atoning blood of the Lamb. How
precious will the words of the old hymn sound in his ear, “On Christ the solid
rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Christ is his only hope of
righteousness.
2.) It
will cost a Christian his/her sins. He must be prepared to give up every custom
and practice that is wrong in God’s sight. He must set is face against sin,
wrestle with it, quarrel with it, prune himself of it, fight with it, crucify
it, and labor to keep it down. All sins are his deadly enemies, and the true
Believer will grow in hating every false way set before him. This may not be
the popular teaching of the day, but let us observe that faith and repentance
are inextricably bound together. Our Lord Jesus Christ and Paul the apostle
always taught both together. Christ is willing to receive any sinner, but He
will not receive them if they will stick to their sins.
3.) It
will cost a Christian his/her love of ease. The race towards heaven is one of peace paired with pain and trouble. Surely the Christian has peace, for He is
in right standing with the King. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus.” But the Believer’s sanctification is one of
continual struggle until he is called home. He must daily watch and stand on
guard, putting on the full armor of God for spiritual warfare. He must be
diligent over his time, Bible-reading, and prayer, and must be careful over his
tongue, temper, thoughts, and imagination. The Christian life is surely not one
of ease, but it is one of rigorous work through the grace of God that enables.
No one drifts toward holiness. The Christian must be on guard at all times.
4.) It
will cost a Christian his/her favor with the world. The Believer must be
content to be thought ill of by man if he is to please God. Jesus promised,
“The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted Me, they
will also persecute you.” The Christian must not be surprised to know that his
opinions and practices are despised, mocked, and ridiculed. Rather, he should
be intoxicated on the favor that has been shown him in Christ, and will spend
his life proclaiming the good news of the gospel, even if the stakes are high.
This is a heavy list, and I by no means intend to
discourage. Living for Christ is the most rewarding thing a human can do. A
life spent in the service of Christ is the happiest life that a man can spend
upon earth. I might ask who in their right mind can doubt that it is worth
any cost to have his soul saved? When it comes to the eternal state of our souls, surely we ought to cling hastily to Christ and be quick to observe His blessed commands. J.C. Ryle once said, “A religion that cost nothing is worth nothing! A cheap Christianity
without a cross, will prove in the end a useless Christianity, without a crown.” So then I ask you again, What has it cost you to follow Jesus?
“What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul?”
Mark 8:36
